Bad Vibes From The Congo

I've just started a new course with an exchange student in The Republic of Congo, Africa. I communicate to her in French and she writes letters back in English. It was originally set up through the government I think but I don't really know, I just subscribed to it a year ago and have only been in contact with this girl for two months.

However, recently, our communication has been cut off. I haven't had any letters from her and I've been starting to worry. I get these horrible feelings of fear when trying to express myself or whenever there are loud noises, I can't be around any one who is yelling.

This strange fear is especially prominent at night when I feel exceptionally vulnerable and end up crying underneath my bed and trying to block out noise, that doesn't exist. I end up shivering, even though I feel warm. It's winter though, usually I'm freezing.

I'm scared to go outside and I have an intense feeling of paranoia when I do. Which doesn't stem from anything that I would usually face outdoors but from this feeling of something bad on the horizon, as if by stepping outside, I'm going to find myself in the middle of what may soon be riot or conflict of some kind. My first instinct is to run for the hills because I know I'm going to get hurt if I stay there.

When I sleep, I end up waking up every few hours, even minutes! Because I think I just heard something and I have this insane feeling that I just fell from a height onto my bed. I don't dream although before this break in communication I did.

I don't know what's happening, it all started when my communication with this pen pal stopped. It only started to get very urgent and intense a week ago, I don't know why.

I'm worried that something might be happening to my friend in the Congo because there is nothing in Australia that could happen soon, to explain these feelings. But I don't know how to stop them. Could anyone shed some light on why I may be feeling this way? And what these feelings might be trying to get across to me?